Political Agenda: Energy policy and the Stoke Central by-election

The Stoke Central by-election revealed a range of energy policy pressures which could have implications on a wider scale, says David Blackman

Energy was centre stage at last week’s parliamentary by-elections. Fuelling Labour’s loss in Copeland was the confusion over its energy stance as the party tried to distance itself from leader Jeremy Corbyn’s historical opposition to nuclear power.

The voters’ verdict has firmed Labour’s support for nuclear power. It has given Labour’s trade union backers, which have large numbers of members employed in the nuclear sector, more leverage.

But the Stoke Central by-election could also have implications for the future direction of energy policy.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall failed to win the seat, but one of his stock responses is that the party would cut average energy bills by £300 a year by scrapping renewable subsidies.

It will be tempting for prime minister Theresa May to squeeze Ukip even further into irrelevance by doing the same.

Tory MP James Heappey told a Renewable UK conference last week that Downing Street is “reticent” about what May’s predecessor David Cameron dubbed the “green crap”.

As reported by Utility Week (above), he said the long-awaited Emissions Reduction Plan is set to be rebadged as a “clean growth plan”.

However, he also reminded delegates the government had committed itself “fairly early on” to the 5th carbon budget, which entails reducing emissions to 57 per cent of 1990 levels by 2032.

The government hasn’t completely abandoned the environment, but post-Brexit, creating jobs has a new urgency.